And so it begins...

Lao Tzu said that "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." For me, that step was the moment I crossed the security check in Toronto, turned around to see my mom blowing me kisses, waved back, and realized - from this moment on - I'm on my own.

As I walked to the gate, a new feeling started to come over me. I have never travelled by myself, and never on such a mission as now. Whenever I travelled before, it was always with someone, and always for a vacation. It's quite a different feeling going away somewhere with the knowledge that soon enough you'll be back. You've packed your clothes, your toothbrush, and your travel journal. If you forgot anything - it's no big deal - you're only gone for a few weeks. Walking down to that gate, I knew I won't be back that soon. I've packed my life for the next half a year into a tiny suitcase, forgetting something of course, and I was no longer traveling as a tourist - I was moving to a new place to live there - to learn the language, the culture, and most importantly - how to be a global citizen. Going away and coming back is easy; going away to find a new place to call home is a whole different vibe.

I remember when I first moved to Canada from Russia, I was 12 at the time, and had already established a sense of home back in St. Petersburg. For the first few years in Canada, I still considered myself an outsider (with the help of my peers of course), and always thought of Russia as my home. Slowly I learned the customs, the language, the slang, the culture, and began to blend in. I opened up, I made friends, I found love, and I began to feel comfortable. Yet still, the established sense of home back in Russia was somehow carved into my mind. I remember one day wishing I could go back, and a strange feeling came over me. I realized that day that if I were to go back - I would now be an outsider in Russia too. I would speak with an accent, I would shrug at unfamiliar slang, and I would have no friends. It was a sad day for me, as I realized I had no home anywhere. But it takes great despair to learn great wisdom, and that day I learned a very valuable lesson. It is not where you are born, or what language you speak, or what customs you know, or where your friends are that marks your home - no. As an old proverb says "home is where you hang your hat." And for that reason I packed a hat with me, just so I could hang it when I got to my dorm.

And so, here I am - in my new home. And the warmth of the spring sun on my face reminds me that this is only the beginning - the first steps on my journey. Yet I've already met and chatted with several people in my building (auf Deutsch), I've already explored Bonn on my own (and didn't get lost (and didn't use a map or gps)), I've already went shopping and bought a few things without needing to communicate in English. This morning I even had lunch on a terrace and was able to get by with my limited knowledge of German.

Coming home to my dorm, a comfortable feeling brings a smile to my face. I don't need familiarity, or safety, or the knowledge of the language or the culture to call this place home - I'm making this my home. I've set up my computer; I've put some books on the shelves; I bought some fruit, yogurt, bread and beer at the grocery store just to have something in the fridge; I'm exploring, I'm meeting people, I'm living my life.

Of course I miss my friends, but not because I'm lonely, but because I wish all of you were here to experience this too. It's a refreshing change to have to adapt to a new environment, and I think sometimes we forget that no matter where we are, we are always adapting and learning. No matter where your home is, you're always growing - and so does your home.

I feel like I'm living my life no differently than in Canada - I leave my house and walk somewhere. I buy lunch and sit on a patio enjoying the sun. I smile at the dog chewing on a plastic beer bottle, or the kid playing with the soccer ball, or the city workers taking a smoke break on the patio. I take a walk through a busy commercial neighbourhood and look at the storefronts. I smell freshly baked bread (as there's a bakery on every corner here) and buy a Rosinenbrot for 50c. I walk home taking a new path every time, yet never getting lost - I'm already familiar with the landmarks and directions, yet I've only been here a few days. I feel at home already, even though I know very little about this place.

No matter where you are, there's always something new to explore - a street you've never walked down, a shop you never bothered visiting, a drink or a treat you never tried from the local grocery store - don't forget that. Because as much as I feel at home here already, I also feel like I'm constantly exploring and learning new things, and I've done this in Canada too. Every day holds a new adventure if you allow for it. I know I'm guilty of not always doing this myself, because it's easy to get carried away in the errands we have to run, or the work we have to do. The past two days have been nothing but errands for me, and today has just been a day where I could sleep in, and go out and explore and just live. And it made me realize how important it is to take the time to live your life. Otherwise it will pass you by like a carnival full of costumed, drunk Germans, while you're on a train to University......... think about it.